Four Swords: Secrets
by Starry-eyed Fanboy
Summary: (Original by Peace Wing) After the happily ever after, the universe just can't seem to leave our hero alone. With some new enemies, some morally ambiguous allies, and a load of skeletons in the closet needing to be released, what could possibly happen to our favorite Four Sword Heroes on the Part II of their adventures? (a lot. the answer is a lot.)
1. Chapter 1

**HI! It's here early because I couldn't wait HA**

 **You might notice I'm leaving the old FSS up, which is because there's precious reviews i don't wanna leave, though the chapters have dropped into the void. This is quite a bit different from that, though, so it's not like new people will miss out or anything...**

 **(lol this entire story will likely be in present tense because Homestuck ruined my brain and I switch tenses a lot. If that happens tell me so I can fix it!)**

Chapter One: I was the Rain  
 _(Thomas-Adam Habuda)_

Hyrule Castle Town awakens slowly - everything is quiet, no one quite wanting to bother the still calm air. Everyone seemed to savor the precious hours when the sun turned the sky shades of pale yellow and orange, or grey on overcast days, and marketplace wasn't at its midmorning hustle.

In a modest house on the main street of town, a pair of run-down boots sit just inside the door, lonely. The table in the same room holds a small collection of empty cups, all with the same shade of coffee stains in them. The next room over, the kitchen, is spotless, though the cupboards have enough food to supply two people for many months. Up the wooden stairs lay two rooms, the one on the right void of an owner. The bed is empty, the sheets crinkled - the occupant likely hasn't been around for hours. Across the hall, the covers rise and fall steadily with the breathing of a boy on the verge of waking up.

After he does, however, he doesn't move. He stares blankly into space for a few moments, burning a hole in the wall with his gaze, before sighing heavily and sitting up. Bare feet make their way across the floor and down the stairs, and immediately to the kitchen.

Two coffee cups sit on the counter corner, one already downed, the other lukewarm. A note in calligraphic handwriting is next to it, and the boy lethargically picks it up to read. Dim blue eyes read it line by line.

 _Link,_

 _I'll be gone long before you wake. I've gone to the Castle to help the knights - they had late night training and one of the other commanders had to leave and I'm writing far too much. I will be back before the sun reaches its three-quarter point in the sky. I hope you'll manage until then._

 _Don't do anything stupid._

 _Love, Dad_

Link sets the paper back down and sighs again, this one tinged more with annoyance than anything else. His father was always gone for something or other and never returned until late, which he supposed wasn't all bad. It was significantly easier on the boy's mind to be around those he trusted, especially since the event referred to now as _Then_ , but he supposed he could get through the day with lukewarm coffee and a fireplace.

Said fire rests in the sitting room, which has one small couch, one longer couch and a wooden stool Link's father usually occupies. The smaller couch has been moved closer to the fireplace, almost within reach of the embers, and Link sits on it with his knees tucked under him, closed off from everything but the still morning air around him and the roaring flames in the fire making pictures to watch while he waited. He had quite a while. He sat. And he watched the flames.

* * *

Red sat and watched the flames until he felt like his eyes were going to burn right out of his skull. The lulls between missions were so boring sometimes - obviously better than going around destroying property, but a lot more boring. He looked around occasionally to find Green next to him, also staring aimlessly into the fire, Blue pacing, and Vio reading a book, all of them clearly bored out of their minds.

 _Plink, plink._

Red suddenly hears light tapping above him and looks up at the roof, almost expecting there to be something there. The sound gets faster.

 _Plink plink plink-plink-plink plink-plinkplinkplinkplinkpli-_

"Oh my gosh, guys!" The warm-colored Link says suddenly, startling Blue and Green. "It's raining!"

Blue gives him a deadpan look and says, annoyed, "Yeah, and what about it?"

Vio doesn't look up as he answers for Red. "We're currently situated in a small part of Necluda that rarely gets rainfall. I'm sure the villagers are pleased."

Red stands up and races to the window. Sure enough, the town's citizens are either hurrying into the nearest building for lack of an umbrella, or running around excitedly in the wet weather (most of the latter are children or young adults). He makes a small excited noise and bounds to the door where they put their boots, the others paying little attention to the small blond until he slams the wood door behind him with a resounding _thunk_ on the way out of the inn. Blue looks up immediately, Vio more slowly, and Green passes straight over the glancing phase and makes his way briskly toward the door.

"Guess I should follow him," Green says, shrugging back at his comrades. Blue gets up and follows as soon as the door is shut again, and Vio isn't soon afterward. Red is outside, standing on the side of the street under the rooftops. Rain drips off the overhangs, creating ever-expanding puddles and little of it reaches from above. Blue finds him first.

"Red, why'd you run out here like that? It's just rain," the blue-clad boy says, annoyed. He kicks a nearby puddle with his shoe, and the murky grey water splashes back in his face as revenge. Red jumps full force into one a few paces away, sending tiny drops of rainwater onto the walls, Blue's hair, and his own clothes.

"Well, we've never seen rain before separated," Red says, shrugging and shivering immediately after. "I wanted to enjoy it, I guess." Before Blue can reply to the statement, Green calls to them from down the street a ways, where he and Vio have taken cover under an awning. Vio seems to already be engrossed in the book he brought with him and doesn't react to their leader's shouting, which leads the boys to suspect something. Sure enough, the boy points to the ground in front of him, where a large and likely deep puddle sits, a monster lying in wait for a victim.

Red grins and nods, pulling Blue behind him by the wrist as they come closer to the two cool-colored Links. The taller boy stumbles after, until he catches his footing and starts speed-walking closer as well. The rain hitting the street and dripping off buildings covers their echoing footsteps, until the two Links jump right into the middle of the puddle and drench their unsuspecting victim in slightly dirty water.

Vio just glares at them, but he doesn't say anything as he makes a show of flicking the water off his arms. Green laughs from his standing position a few paces away, out of range of the water spray.

All is well in the haven of their happiness.

* * *

Link sits near the fire, long since reduced to embers, staring empty into the void of space. He's looking back on the confusing mess of memories from his time as four people, confusing in the fact that he can see them from four points of view at one moment. Four different pairs of eyes, four different brains, four different thought processes, all at the same moment.

He hates thinking about it, but he can't stop either. He wants to understand what happened. All he remembers is parts when they were split up, and even those are strange because each of his selves has a different thought process than him.

He's shaken out of it by the sudden sharp tone of his father, who apparently just returned home from helping the Knights. "Link, are you alright?" When the blond looks up, his dad is standing in the doorway looking slightly concerned and still dressed for training. The fourteen-year-old nods, absent but out of his memories. His father makes his way over, shedding his cape and sword as he walks across the room. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," is Link's immediate response. "It's not that bad, just a little confusing. Besides, Hyrule didn't get destroyed and Zelda got back to the castle." He shrugs, then stands up and shivers. "I'm gonna go make more coffee."

As the boy leaves the room, his father stares after him before picking his cape up and going to hang it near the door.

* * *

 **IT DONE YAY**

 **I hopefully don't get too behind on this loL**

 **I'll update probably every other weekend, and if I miss I'll update during the following week. I'm also gonna stock up on chapters so I have some when I get writer's block...**

 **Anyways yeah that's it byeeeeee**

 **~Starr**


	2. Chapter 2

**I STAYED HOME FROM SCHOOL TO WRITE THIS R.I.P.**

Chapter Two: Legacy of the Lost  
 _(Paul Dinletir)_

Link trudges up the stairs to his bed slowly. It's not that he's tired so much as he's _drained_ , drained from thinking so much and trying to make sense of the mess that is his singular head. He thinks briefly of pulling the Four Sword again - but quickly pushes that thought away. Zelda and the Maidens, as soon as the Sword had been returned, created and activated a rune that would double the sealing powers on Ganon and likely keep the beast from escaping in the event the Four Sword had to be pulled again, but no one was keen on testing that theory. Link didn't want to doom the whole kingdom again - better he suffer singularly than ruin a country.

When he reaches his bed, it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep.

* * *

He awakes to hushed, urgent voices downstairs. He can't be sure if it's a dream or not - but he slowly gets out of bed and walks out of his room regardless. As he goes down the stairs, feet warm against the ice cold floor, he hears that the voices are two in number, and far too low to be from his own memories. He doesn't stop there, however, and stands at the base of the stairs to listen into what they say.

The voice he recognizes as his father's is speaking. "...important that you had to call in the middle of the night?"

"I carry urgent news about the state of the Castle, sir," the other voice, likely a knight, replied, tone hushed yet quick. "It's been... set ablaze."

Link gasps, still careful not to be heard - though it doesn't matter, as his own father does the same. He hears a sudden loud clanking as his father buckles his cape and makes his way to the place he knows the swords are - after that there's an even larger commotion as he grabs a blade and prepares to head out. At this point, Link realizes that if the castle in in danger, he should probably join in and assist as well.

He steps out from around the corner, startling both knights (the unfamiliar voice was Valenzuela, one of his father's closest comrades), and says simply, tone even, "I'm coming with you."

He can see the flurry of emotion cross his father's face, but he says nothing for a moment. Finally, he shakes his head and begins to negate Link's decision, but is cut off by Valenzuela putting a hand on his shoulder. The longer-haired knight says calmly, "He's a knight as well. We need all the help we can get." Link's dad seems swayed by this, and sighs, pointing back the way the teenager had come from.

"Go, get your tunic on, grab a sword. We'll walk slowly until you join us." With an exchange of nods, both the grown knights leave, closing the door behind them. Link runs back up the stairs and finishes getting dressed. He sees a small flash of eerie light from his window and doesn't have time to look, but he knows it's fire, he knows it's the castle calling for help. He dashes back out to the hall while pulling his shoes on, down the stairs yet again, and toward the closet in the kitchen where all his father's swords are stored.

Shoved at the back of the closet is a smaller, regal-looking broadsword - Link's only sword besides the training ones, crafted at the order of the princess herself. It looked a bit like the Four Sword, but with a longer blade and the wrong colors. He hated using it because it didn't have the same feel as the Four Sword, its balance felt off, and the colors clashed terribly in comparison to what he was used to, but it was his best blade and he couldn't risk using the Four Sword unless it was about to be stolen.

As the young blond leaves his house, sheathing his sword, he recalls that the Four Sword really isn't even used for sealing Ganon anymore. The rune the Maidens had set would keep the seal on Ganon working for a projected year, give or take a week or two, if the sword ended up leaving its pedestal. Link takes comfort in the fact the Sword is safe even if the castle is in danger, as the Shrine is far away and only he has the power to pull it out regardless.

Link looks farther up the street to see the two knights previously at his home speed-walking toward the castle, which he glances up to -

his gaze lingers, terror growing in them.

The whole castle is on fire, from the top to the bottom. The ash rises into the air like a thousand glowing snowflakes, adding to the waves of heat flying towards the sky. Flames, orange and yellow, creep up the now-charred flags and banners previously decorating the walls, and as Link watches a large chunk of the roof of a tower comes cascading down the side. The earth around the castle seems to be falling as well, tumbling into the moat below it. The moat is on fire as well, likely oil spills from various parts of the castle, and extremely muddy from all the soil in it. The fire crawls up the building, seeming to close in on one of the most important places - the wing of the Palace where Zelda sleeps.

Link finally manages to tear himself from the blaze, the flames fleeing from their reflected place in his eyes, and he dashes up to his father and friend, who acknowledge him. After that he sprints past them, reaching the gates of Hyrule castle in an instant.

Hyrule Castle looks like it's situated at the back of a large, raised piece of land - any person who has been inside knows otherwise, however. Beneath Link's own feet the interior of the Castle spreads, a labyrinth of red-carpet halls and rooms full of treasure for small child's hands. If he had time, he would remember playing in these halls as children, finding the secret West Passage, the entrance to the docks in the library, the hidden East Passage Zelda said was for special occasions, looking out the telescope in the Observation Room that was taken down when the Royal Astronomer passed. The place looked abandoned now, something Link hoped wasn't true. The fire started as close to him as the very Observation Room, and is spreading alarmingly quickly down toward the place he stands.

Link thinks quickly. He needs to help people get out of the oppressive smoke likely collecting in rooms - but with how much of the castle is collapsing on itself, that's a job better suited for the older, stronger guards. With his small size and speed, he'd be better suited to getting one person out and quickly, he thinks. That person should be the King, but Link's thoughts are on the Princess. If she survives Hyrule will still have a ruler. With the goal in mind of getting the Princess out, the young knight rushes in, sword clinking against his back, flames rising to meet him.

* * *

Link has little experience navigating a crumbling castle in the midst of a fire, but he feels he's doing pretty well.

He climbs in through the Observation Room, scaling the wall to the wide balcony and dropping into the hallway. To his right lay a hall leading to the Dining Hall, where he's sure there's enough chaos, and to his left, the Guards' Chamber. Off there, he knows, is another passage leading to Zelda's room, and he leaps into action.

There's smoke covering a good few feet of the ceiling, and Link is glad every wall is so tall in this castle. Piles of broken walls and stray torches litter the burned carpet everywhere the blond goes, and where the wall has crumbled he can see fire consuming the courtyards and other areas of the Castle. It's almost like the fire is trying to eat the castle, destroy everything in it until only its fading memory remains.

He briefly wonders if all the secrets of this castle will be remembered. Even he doesn't know them all, and they may be gone very soon.

He shakes the thought from his head, forcing himself to focus on the one goal he has set. The study where Zelda spends her evenings is just to his side, and he turns sharply round the corner -

the door is busted open, and the room is coated in smoke.

Link takes a deep breath and runs in, terrified of what he might find. What he does find isn't quite what he expected.

It looks like a struggle took place. Zelda's precious scrolls and books and magic tomes are spread across every surface, the pages set afire and crumbling into sad ash. Her bed is empty, the sheets already ablaze, her bookshelf encased in orange fire. The smoke here is much blacker, for a reason Link knows only in the subconscious of his mind and doesn't have time to remember. What he knows is that Zelda is no longer here. She must have left already, Link decides.

Just as he's about to leave, he notices the most terrifying thing of all about this room.

On the floor, just in front of the toe of his boot, is Zelda's tiara, glinting in the light of a thousand flames, screaming for all the world that the princess has been abducted.

* * *

 **Goodness, I'm sorry this is late. I'll try not to keep you on this cliffhanger longer then June 8!**

 **Any comments? Thoughts? Guesses on what will happen? Review and tell me your thoughts! Any time someone guesses correctly I move the upd8 day closer by one day ;)**

 **Goodbye!**

 **-Starr**


	3. Chapter 3 Impatient Ver

Chapter Three: The Truth  
 _Paul Dinletir_

Link's eyes widen, his feet moving backwards involuntarily. He trips over a stray book, barely managing to catch himself on his elbows. Zelda's tiara shines in front of him, almost teasing him, reminding him he was too late. It takes a moment for him to get over the initial shock and stand up, and then he mentally slaps himself and starts thinking.

Well, the Princess being forcibly removed from the Castle premises means that there is definitely something more sinister going on here than a mere kitchen servant's accident. This fire is magic-made - the abundance of black smoke in Zelda's study shows that magic had been used here, but the young blond doubts the torch was set here as well. With the small, dwindling hope that the Princess is still in the Castle, but no time to grieve or think further, Link puts his weight on his heel, turns around, and leaves the room.

From the broken window, a mass of darkness steals into Zelda's quarters, scoops up her tiara, and seeps away once more, unnoticed in the roaring flames.

As Link races, breath catching in his throat, clothes singed from ash, this small black puddle-like thing drops carefully down the side of the tower, across the burning courtyard, and out of immediate danger of the blaze. It slowly begins to take form, stretching and solidifying until it becomes human like, and then it gains features. Bright eyes, glowing red in the fire-lit evening, skin paper-white and almost gray (as if smoke has collected behind the features of the creature's face), dark clothing appearing clean and unaffected by the fire around him. The oddly familiar features of a boy who is not far off, but sharper, a hat that seems to have a mind of his own.

The shadow of a boy looks down at the tiara now lying in his palms and grins, flashing sharp canines and sinister intent. He admires it for a bit - holds it up to the light of the moon, traces the intricate leaf design with a fingernail - and then he laughs, short and malicious, before transitioning back into darkness and racing across the freshly flaming lawn.

* * *

Link runs to the doors to the Sanctum, but they have been destroyed and lay in pieces around him. It's definitely by force or magic - no way a fire or breaking wall could cause it to smash into pieces like this. It scares him more than he can think about, and he takes the massive adrenaline he gets from fear and turns it into energy, climbing over the biggest parts and dropping with an even roll into the former Throne Room.

The seats of the Royal Family, across the circular room, have been singed and broken beyond repair. Ash floats through the room, suspended as if the air has suddenly stilled. The atmospheric candles have fallen, the wax dripping over the stone, the fire rises all way to the top, the stained glass windows only exist in colored shards sparkling on the floor, the whole room looks terrible.

Link has never seen the Castle in such a state of disarray, or this room lack of people, and it strikes him. It tells him that the Princess, as well as her aging father, are gone. It takes the hopeful spark in his chest and snuffs it from existence, laughing at him and leaving his chest empty and hollow. Despite this, the boy runs forward, ash collecting on his tunic and hat as he stirs the air around him. The fire burns his eyes, he doesn't know how long his eyes have been watering, nor how long his shoulders and legs have been being singed with ash. He doesn't have the time to focus on his pain, however, he just wants to see if anyone is here -

He gets about halfway across the room before he trips, this time over something that makes a loud clanking noise behind him. It takes him a second to collect himself, and he stands on one knee and listens to the lightning crackle of the flames as he prepares himself. Whatever he tripped over could be anything, likely a sign to who or what was in this room previously. Finally, Link turns around, and falls once again to his knees and elbows in shock.

Instead of the belonging of a monster or evil being, it's something quite familiar - his father's sword.

The boy stares for a moment, unable to process the ownerless blade in front of him. After a second, the fire pops around him and he suddenly realizes his Father was likely in here, and now he's gone. His mind starts shutting down and his vision gets hazy, fog covering his mind for a few seconds before his subconscious reminds him he needs to get going. If his Father had to flee (or some worse fate) so quickly as to leave his sword behind, something terrible happened here and he needs to leave before something happens to him. If his father and the Princess are both MIA, it's only a matter of time before whatever is behind this fire gets to him.

Link picks the Guard Captain's sword off the ground and heads immediately for the doors. Before he can get there, the ground shakes violently, throwing him onto his face for the umpteenth time, and the remaining frame of the door collapses.

"Din dang it!" The young hero yells, at this point fed up with how poorly everything has gone. He stands up in a second, and immediately begins scaling the small pile of door parts that have collected, all while dragging his father's sword. He doesn't want to leave it, as, despite the implications, it could be all that remains of the Guard Captain.

Finally, he gets back to the hall. It seems like the fire goes out wherever he goes, and he doesn't know why, but he's glad it's dying. The small ideal of peace he suddenly gets is just as swiftly shattered by the very ground under his feet, though, as it shakes violently. He doesn't fall on his face, but his heart skips a beat and terror seizes his body. By the time Link gets over the shock, the largest of the tremors is over but he knows it's not the last. It's an earthquake.

He wonders to himself why all this is happening. It's been less than a year since the Four Sword was returned - according to all known laws of Heroism, it should be his great-great-grandson who fends off the next bad guy. And this fire is definitely magic-made - the strange way it acts is proof of that. It even shied away at the prospect of an earthquake, and normal fire doesn't do that.

Link runs down the hall with all the speed he can muster in a smoke-filled, collapsing castle of broken dreams and hidden passages, hoping to get out before something happens. As he runs, he shoulders his father's sword to try to go faster, and starts thinking about the Four Sword. He hopes it's going to be okay - in all seriousness it should, as the Four Sword Shrine is a ways from the Castle, but the blue-eyed boy can't shake the feeling that something will happen to it during the course of today (tonight?)'s events. The feeling does not go away as he enters the next hall, trying to find his way out among the inaccessible halls and closed-off rooms.

Down this hall, however, the ground begins shaking violently again and the teen is flung against the wall in self-preservation and instinct. He watches in awe, unable to move, as the red carpet and stone down the hall begins to crack far to his right. The freshly-made hole in the ground doesn't seem to be going anywhere, however, so although the ground shakes and throws him off balance, Link decides to take refuge in the nearest room he can find. Halls are never safe in earthquakes.

As if sensing his movement, the split in the previously pristine flooring suddenly speeds up. Link panics, tripping over his own feet and dropping his father's sword on the carpet. The fissure moves toward him quickly, and he knows he has to think fast. He can either save the Guard Captain's sword and fall into a crater who-knows how deep, getting trapped and possibly killed. Alternatively, he could cut his losses and make a dash for the door, which has a much higher survival rate. Even as he considers, he knows which he has to pick - it pains him, but he picks himself off the ground, abandoning his father's memento, and speeds away from the splitting floor. He doesn't have time to cry, or to say anything, before the earthquake pushes the crack to him and he falls, powerless, downward.

* * *

 **WHAT IS IT WITH ME AND CLIffhangers danG**

 **Is Link gonna survive? How much longer until the four are here? What happened to Zelda? His dad? Also how long until there's four? Who was that boy? HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL THERE'S FOUR?**

 **Yo questions will be answered in due time mah dudes**

 **-Starr**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Laruto's Lament  
 _Alisa_

He feels something hitting his face in uneven rhythm, opens his eyes, and realizes it's rain.

The next thing he realizes is that he is not injured and he most certainly is not dead.

Link sits up quickly, taking a moment to recover from the blood rush he inevitably gets. When he regains his train of thought, he looks up and then around, trying to find out where he is.

Above him are grey skies, layers upon layers of dark clouds and wispy paler ones. He recognizes the darker ones from the castle, and realizes he must still be around Castle Town. Torrents of rain plummet from the skies, almost seeming to soak the very air through which it falls. Link can feel a small layer of wet in the grass around his hands. When he looks around, he can pinpoint where he is exactly - the crumbling mossy stone walls, broken pillars, overgrown debris, a stone-covered floor carpeted in moss, an open space in the center.

It's the Four Sword Shrine.

Link blinks, bewildered, not quite believing he's where he wanted to be. He figures some higher power had mercy on him and somehow let him escape the Castle in one piece, even conveniently taking him to the Shrine. He hasn't been here since the day he put the Sacred Sword away, and it brings back a slew of memories Link isn't sure he wants to go through. Instead, he shakes them to the back of his mind, and looks around for said sword. It's in the same place it's always been - upright, unmoving, the tip buried in the pedestal where it's rested for more than a few days. Link tries, he tries really hard to block out the memories that come sliding back into place with that view of the sword. But he can't stop it; he is suddenly in a time not his own, in a body belonging to someone else.

...0-o-0...

He can't believe it.

Green can't believe they're finally going back to one.

At the beginning of it all, he would have been more than happy to put the Four Sword back and fight Vaati as a single boy - but looking at how much he's grown as well as them, he knows that it would have likely ended in world domination for Ganon and Vaati. He also reflects on how much they've grown - Blue is much more tolerant of the others, Vio listens to them instead of just himself, Red is the group's mediating realist, and himself... if he had to say anything, he'd say he's become quite the gif-

-nd now they're going back. It becomes sadder the more he thinks about it, and though he tries to think about how pretty his sword is or about the book he read last night, Red can't stop thinking about how he'll never see the others again. He knows that their tale will live on, but what if they become as forgotten as the heroes of the past - personalities gone, only a small memory of what they did outliving them? The thought scares him.

In fact - the more he thinks about it, the more he doesn't want to go th-

-id of these losers, he knows he would have said at the start of this whole mess. But he's learned more now, he knows that a team has to be supportive of each other. What did Vio say that one time about them - oh yeah, a team is greater than the sum of its parts. Blue feels like they all had to learn that, perhaps him especially, seeing as he was very eager to leave the team when they first split apart.

But... he almost is saddened by the fact that he might not see them again. So yeah, he might have been ready to be the only one earlier, but the longer the boy considers, the more he reali-

-st sad. Almost, but not quite.

Of course, this doesn't mean he's not in a dampered mood - the silence and the brooding expressions prove more than enough that all four of them are thinking along the same lines. Vio thinks the walk to the Shrine is a lot longer than he expected, yet every step takes them too far forward. This uneasy, hesitant feeling isn't so-

-aving seems like it should be so e-

-een even looks like he's having a hard time, what's up with that-

-s if they all even want to do t-

-be it isn'-

-h well, it's pr-

-apart, bu-

-worth it?-

-ddenly, he reaches the Shrine entrance, the ruins looming tall in front of him, but in a warm, welcoming way. Green feels like he's coming home, almost, the light reflecting off the moss-covered stone and sending warm sunlight through the room. He takes a deep breath and walk forward, ready to say goodb-

-e walls grin at him, sunlight creating shadows that sneer maliciously wherever he looks. The Shrine suddenly seems far too small to hold all four of them, much less Zelda who trails behind them in respectful silence. He thinks it's his mind, somehow trained into perceiving things differently after his time on the flip side, but it doesn't change the fact that everything seems so small, so dark.

This might be a bad idea, he'll miss them, but it's for the good of the country.-

-ss you guys!"

Red stands at ready as he and the others say their goodbyes, smiling a small grin to himself as he looks around the sparkling Four Sword Shrine. This is a good place for his soul to spend eternity, he thinks.

(He thinks, and then he is gone. One stands where four once were.)

* * *

Link cannot remember a more confusing time he's had to remember something from his last adventure - he's sure he doesn't remember half of it, as the eyes he looked through were different seemingly every half-second. He barely grasps how it ended, but he knows it was with extremely mixed feelings and many things left unsaid. He realizes that all his parts had their own lives, their own stories, their own experiences and thoughts and ways of thinking and stories and secrets -

And they willingly gave up their individuality to protect Hyrule from further harm and let him be himself again.

The blond feels immeasurably grateful for the sacrifice his selves made. If he had good reason, in fact, he'd be willing to pull the Four Sword back out right now... He knows he won't do it without reason, as he's not that selfish a person, but he almost wishes the rain would let up and that earthquake would spread to here just so he could pull it out. Link shakes his head, sending a spray of rainwater into the air. That's such a selfish thing, even after he just prided himself on being selfless!

However, his wish seems to come true anyway, as he suddenly feels the ground shake under his legs and hands. He mutters a curse word under his breath at himself, blaming his own thoughts, and stands up as quickly as possible to get the Four Sword before it becomes too late and the Shrine crumbles around it. It takes too short a time for the earthquake's might to reach the young boy, however, and he's pitched forward suddenly. Not having the strength to get back up, he crawls on hands and knees toward the center of the shrine, determined to save the people that saved Hyrule. It wasn't him; it was them, they deserve to be themselves again.

He prepares himself, raises his body to a crouch, and launches forward as the earth splits in two below him. He flies over the Four Sword, grabbing the handle in his left hand and forcing it up out of the ground. Mere seconds after he pulls the sacred blade free, the pedestal cracks in two, a fate that would have been shared by the sword previously resting in it. The whole scene is suddenly encompassed in bright light, Link thinks his last thought, and as his consciousness fades, the world abruptly turns to black.

The Four Sword Shrine collapses, old moss walls and element-topped stone pillars falling inwards after giving their last stand. The crashes sound like applause and encouragement, a silent well-wish for the soon-to-be heroes.

* * *

"Ugh..."

The boy groans quietly as he comes to, trying to figure out why on earth he's here, or where he is, or even who he is. That last one takes him a second, and he remembers piece by piece. His name was Link. It is not now. He pulled a sword from a pedestal, and his memories closely match the ones belonging to

Green suddenly opens his eyes, closing them at the sudden light invading his vision. He's... he's alive. His soul isn't one with the other boys' anymore, he's himself again, free from Link's body and into his own (even if it's a carbon copy). He feels immensely happy at this turn of events. He thinks for a moment too long on why he wasn't happy before, his mind settling on what he can remember of Link's trip to a burning Hyrule Castle. The sudden reminder of Zelda's absence and the quakes and all the things that happened recently make him sit up immediately, straining to open his eyes against the bright sunlight.

Considering the time difference from the last time he remembers, he must have been knocked out by whatever events unfolded after Link so generously pulled out the Four Sword. He looked down next to him, seeing the sword shining in his eyes, the green gem in the guard glittering in the noonday light. Green looks around him, at the small forests and the plains and the drop into Hylia River to the east. The grass rolling in the wind is calming to him, quelling the fear he has at Zelda's disappearance, though the worry stays.

He knows the Princess is strong. He can wait a bit before thinking more on her - if he's back, then that goes to show the others are too, right? The green-clothed boy looks around, noticing Blue immediately. He's passed out just to Green's left, palms toward the sky and mouth open. If he was asleep, he'd be snoring. A few paces in front and slightly to the left of Green's feet lies Red, curled in on himself and looking peacefully asleep. He notices their hair is different colors - a result of magic, maybe? Red's is about the same color, Blue's slightly lighter. Maybe Vio would know-

Where is he?

Green looks around further for the last of the four, and finds him far away from himself and the others, sitting away. The boy stands up to go talk to Vio, nearly running and very close to tripping as he plops down next to the purple-clad teen. "Hi," Green says, breathless, glancing over at his counterpart. Vio is looking out toward the horizon, face neutral, though his eyes brighten when he looks briefly to Green. His eyes, the boy notes, are not blue as they were last time, but instead purple - like someone took Link's blue eyes and made the color purple. Maybe that was also magic. Green's thoughts run wild, he's so happy that they're all back and together again.

"Hi," Vio replies after a pause. He sits with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees, calm and seemingly unsurpassed at recent happenings (a la the four of them being, well, four again). "How have you been?" Green snorts - the question is so sarcastic, despite the even tone, and it's _funny,_ something he can rarely remember coming from Vio. Maybe splitting up again was the greatest thing Link ever decided to do, even greater than sneaking off to become a knight.

"I've been asleep for a while, then I woke up, and... That's about it actually, you?" Green replies, in the same faux-serious tone as his smart counterpart, though it's obvious he's hiding laughter. Vio smiles, barely, it's more of a smirk but it's out of enjoyment so yeah, a smile. Vio smiles, and Green grins wide, knocking him in the shoulder playfully. "I'm really glad we're apart, even under the circumstances."

Vio lifts up his hand and shoves Green in the side, making him fall over, before replying. "Me too." He turns his head around to look at the other two (still unconscious) Links before continuing, "I don't like why, but it's nice being myself again." Green nods, silent, happy to let the talk end there as he thinks about Hyrule Castle. But just as he starts pondering the topic, Vio cuts in again. "Don't think about it until the others wake up, or you'll ruin the mood, Green." The boy in question blinks, surprised, turning toward his fellow hero.

"How did you know that was what I was thinking about?" He asks, bewildered. Vio shrugs.

"I know what I think about." The conversation really ends there, and the boys look out at the horizon for a few minutes before the silence is broken again - though not by one of them.

Green's ears pick up a tired groan from the direction of his place of awakening, followed by a gasp of surprise and a small, but excited, squeal. Footsteps pound across the grass towards himself and Vio, and then they're suddenly being hugged from behind by a rightfully happy Red. "Hi guys!" He says cheerfully, squeezing the two boys his arms are around. The green Link notes Red's eyes have become a weird reddish color, orange and brown and hints of dark red.

"Hi Red," they say in unison, and Green returns the hug. Vio doesn't shy away from it, which Green supposes is an improvement. Red lets go eventually and sits beside Green, crossing his legs and fiddling with his hands in his lap. He seems extremely excited, not able to stop moving or smiling. "I missed you guys," he says, smiling. Vio smiles back, and Green nudges him lightly in the shoulder. The green-clad teen notices that Red's eyes have changed too - they're a weird red-pink color, just enough they don't look threatening, and besides that the same as Vio's.

"Us too," the leading Link says, and after a pause, "how do you think Blue will react to being the last one to wake up?"

"Why didn't you guys wake me up, probably." Answers Blue from behind them, treading slowly across the grass. "I don't appreciate you guys getting up before me." He sits next to Red, who hugs him wordlessly and gleefully.

Vio smirks, looks at Blue from the corner of his eyes and says dryly, "I didn't know you knew a word as big as that, Blue. Your vocabulary's gotten better." To this, Blue adopts a look of annoyed anger and begins to stand up (likely to have Vio "say it to my face"), the only thing stopping him being Red tugging him back down and saying he doesn't want to ruin the mood.

"The mood of what? Being separate?" Blue retorts, though he sits back down and crosses his arms. "We're all back, whoopdeedoo, yadda yadda. Glad to see you guys. We're done, moving on." Green wonders briefly where Blue is going, but it doesn't take long for someone else to pick up on his intention.

"What now?" Vio asks, turning his body toward the other three. "We're separated, both our father and Zelda are gone, the Castle, Castle Town and the Four Sword Shrine lay in ruin, we have no clue how to save them, we don't know who's behind the fire or what their intention is or how to stop them." He then turns his head towards Green, now-violet eyes staring at his own (what color are his? Green?). "What do we do, Green?"

Green starts, surprised at the question even though he could feel it coming. It isn't that he's not used to being asked what to do, but being asked what to do under the current circumstances is... unnerving. Last time Hyrule was in danger, he'd been the leader, but that wasn't as big a threat - Vaati had wanted to preserve Hyrule for the most part, so he had a kingdom to rule, and they knew what he wanted with Zelda so there wasn't any uncertainty there. This time, the four of them are up against an unknown force with unknown goals, unknown plans for the Princess (if she even got kidnapped by them), and unknown threats hanging dangerously in the air. "I..." Green sighs, defeated. "I don't know. We don't know enough about this to solve anything."

Red looks kind of discouraged at this. Vio nods, as he was likely expecting it despite asking the question answered. Blue's face looks angry for a moment, before softening as he realizes Green's words are true. They're useless without information.

"What now." Green sighs, and it sounds like defeat in a sentence. It's the sound of a band of broken kids who don't know what to do in the face of death, the face of potential destruction. He always knows what to do, but for once, he's at a loss and it's the most terrifying feeling one can have. He's in control, but of what, under what circumstances? Green breathes in, even the small rush of air through his nose sounding sad, wilted, lacking confidence.

"Good question."

* * *

 **YO it's not a terrible cliffhanger '-'**

 **I'm really mad because this was supposed to be 1500 words but it's 3000 it wasn't supposed to happen this way/**

 **-Starr**

 **Next chapter release: July 6!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The Wonder Emporium  
 _Piotr Musial_

He doesn't know how long they sit there, but he does know the sun is now beating down on a different area of his neck and hands. Red looks out to the horizon blankly, his mind a mass of white noise and static as he tried to get himself to focus. He glances to his left for the first time in a while, where Vio sits, slightly farther away than everyone else, gaze toward the Ranch. The fire seemed to be confines to Hyrule Castle and the areas just around the moat, plus some places in Castle Town probably. Red can't go check, as returning is probably a bad idea right now, but he guesses there's some damage around the road to the gates and such. He looks out to his left, where Hyrule Castle sits. The fire is gone, but smoke fills the air and floats into the sky in a myriad of grays.

After a while of looking around, Red hears Vio speak from next to him. "Well, we can't sit here forever," says the purple-clad Link, looking to the assumed leader of their group. "Should we start going somewhere, Green?" Green doesn't shift his gaze, but Red notices he starts thinking. It takes him a long pause to answer.

"Uh... I guess so. Anyone have suggestions where?" Red doesn't. He knows he doesn't want to go to Castle Town or the Castle again, but he's open to anywhere else as long as there's less destruction and maybe some information about what's going on. Vio probably doesn't either, seeing as he's still looking expectantly at Green. It ends up being Blue that answers, and with barely a moment's pause.

Blue stares blankly toward the sky, face oddly apathetic, but he says with stony conviction one word. "Away." And Red agrees. They stand up, not together and not quite separately, face their backs to Hyrule Castle, and start walking.

* * *

They make it to the Whistling Hill before anything exciting happens. It happens to be Red who notices it, and he taps the shoulder of Blue, who walks next to him. "Look, Blue! Green! Vio! On top of the hill!" The large hill was featureless, save a few trees at the top, and an... oddly glowing figure nestled among them? That's what Red points to, and Green immediately starts up the hill to figure out what it is. Vio sighs and follows, tailed by the two remaining Links.

As Red approaches the glowy thing, it happens to be a _who_ and not a _what_. Specifically, it's a girl, maybe nineteen, and she's facing away from them. Her hair is grayish and her skin is ashen-looking, but aside from that and the whole glowy-blue-flames thing, she seems like an average Hylian. Red remembers Link reading something about ghosts and how eyewitness accounts say they glow blue, but... that's impossible, right?

Vio opens his mouth to speak, but before he can he's interrupted by the girl herself. "Did you need something? Your stares are really boring into my back." Red and Green start, not expecting her to be so aware of them (then again, their footsteps were kind of loud, the optimist thought in the back of his mind). Vio looks pleasantly surprised, and Blue doesn't really react at all. The girl, though her body is deprived of color, has bright purple eyes when she turns around. She nods her head in greeting. "Hello heroes. You can call me Kona."

Green nods to show understanding, but corrects the girl - Kona - on the point she missed. "Thank you for calling us that, but we're not really heroes." He looks at the others, locking eyes with Red, who shares a small smile in agreement. "Not right now, at least."

Kona's expression doesn't falter. She looks at all four of the Links as she continues. "I'm here to tell you that that might not be as true as you think. I'm pretty sure you all know that the fire in the Castle was caused by magic?" Vio nods, but doesn't interrupt. Red thinks back on it and realizes that the fire probably was caused by magic - magic fire gives off a lot more smoke than a normal fire, and it's darker too. "That wasn't just some mere ill-wisher to the royal family. It's a lot bigger than that - as big as the last threat you faced, Ganon. I'm so sorry, it's only been a few months, but I'm afraid this is the start of your next big journey-"

"Wait," Blue says, speaking for the first time since they left the hill. "No. It's like you said, it's only been five months. We - Link, I mean - had his birthday last month. We were finally getting used to a normal life -" he clenches his fist and corrects himself, remembering the flashbacks Link would have - "mostly, and now just because of some fire and the words of some floaty ghost, we have to go back to adventuring?" Kona looks like she's about to say something, but the sky-clad Link cuts her off. "No. I'm done. I can't go on another adventure this early." He turns around and walks away, sitting at the bottom of the hill (barely in earshot, Red notices).

Red thinks about this new development. There's a new evil in Hyrule. He's definitely not ready for a new adventure, on any level - not mentally, not emotionally, not physically - but at the same time... who would stop this new threat if not them? And Zelda, too-

He notices, out the corner of his eye, Green going to sit with Blue. He puts a hand on his leader's arm, stopping him, and says quietly, "Green, wait. What about Zelda?"

Green stops in his tracks and gives a surprised glance at his more optimistic counterpart. "Think about it - we're the only ones who are strong enough to beat any threat like Ganon! Green, if we don't do this, who will?"

Green looks worried - no, he doesn't look worried. He looks sad and confused. He locks eyes with Red (Red thinks, my eyes are probably red if his are green) and asks, voice cracking in the middle, "Really? Do you really want to shove us into another adventure just after Link was starting to adjust?"

"Think about it!" Red says, concern filling his own voice. He doesn't want to fight, especially with Green, but he HAS to realize how important this is. "No! I don't want this any more than you do, but think about it, Green! Why do you think Link pulled the Four Sword?" There's a moment of silence as Green mulls this over, before Red answers for him. "It was because he wanted us to be here in case someone was really behind that fire! I'm sure you can remember it better than me - but Link wanted us to be apart so we could stop the person that took Zelda." His arm drops back to his side, and he looks away. "At least listen to Kona, I'm sure she has something important to say."

There's another, more drawn out moment of silence, before Vio sits down facing the ghost girl. This is followed by Red and Green, and Blue turns his ears to hear.

Kona pretends like the small fight didn't happen and continues where she left off. "I should tell you more about the enemy, I suppose. Hyrule's newest threat is a sorceress. Her name is Simerla. She's planning something bigger than country domination - bigger than world domination, even, I'm afraid. She's come here to build and use a portal of destruction - not one that will destroy this Hyrule, but all Hyrules across all realities." There's a sharp intake of breath from her listeners. Blue scoots up the hillside to hear better. "Your part in this is so important, for your ancestors, descendants and all versions of the Hero in alternate timelines. When Simerla came here, she immediately moved the position of the elements bestowed upon this land by the gods, which is causing some terrible incidents everywhere in your kingdom and breaking it apart from the inside out. Before you can do anything about the lands outside this reality, you'll have to do something about your own, and that's restoring the elemental balance of this country.

"Simerla still has to gather power and prepare the portal before she can use it, which gives you some time to fix the elements." Kona sighs, her tone getting even more concerned. "But time is still of the essence, and if you wait too long and your Hyrule breaks apart from elemental imbalance, she'll have just what she needs and the universe will be destroyed."

The silence has changed, from attentive and tense to heavy, deep and terrifying. Red thinks about this. Not just their Hyrule, but every single version of Hyrule? Their entire timeline, wiped out, because of this sorceress? It's such a terrifying, heavy thought that he doesn't want to think about it. But he knows that he'll have to face it eventually, and time is of the essence, as Kona said. That settles it, the warm-colored Link decides. We have to help.

The boy looks around, meeting eyes with Blue and Green, who seem to have reached the same conclusion. Vio is looking at Kona, but Red can see he's come to terms with the new development as well. Green stands up, looks Kona in the eyes and sighs. He's not ready for this. None of them are ready for this, it's too early and they're not prepared.

"Where do we start?"

* * *

 **Wonder Emporium is Kona's theme song**

 **THIS TOOK ME SO LONG IM SORRY IF IT SOUNDS DISJOINTED I WROTE IT ON FIVE DIFFERENT DAYS**

 **Um anyways yeah here it is**

 **I'm sorry this is weeks late oops ;;**

 **-Star**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: _Title  
A bleh bleh bleh_

"Where do we start?" Green asks, hesitant determination in his eyes.

Ghost girl - Blue is aware of her name, but ghost girl is cooler - smiles, barely noticeable, and then begins talking. "Let's see... I already told you about Simerla. I should also mention that she has a few subordinates you might have met before." She winks at someone on Blue's side. "Enemies and the like." Her voice sounds sweet, almost fake but still obviously sincere. "She can monitor where you are throughout the country - she's far from powerful enough to track your every move, but she can certainly get her army to take care of that. Be careful of who you trust, and who you talk to. I'd suggest sticking together, and only sharing information when the situation calls for it."

Vio scoffs, rolling his eyes. "And why, exactly? It's not like villagers are part of this sorceress's army." Blue kind of agrees with him - no Light Worlder would side with a Dark World sorceress willingly, and she's pretty new so it's not she's brainwashed anyone or something yet.

The girl shakes her head, like she's talking to a group of clueless toddlers. Blue clenches his fists, but doesn't do anything. She still has that sincere expression - something about this girl is really off-putting. But she's an ally, so Blue keeps his butt on the ground and listens. "Simerla's got a few tricks up her sleeve - and a pretty good shapeshifter, too. You'd be surprised what she can do." She looks like she's about to continue, but Green holds up a hand, and she looks at him instead.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," the leader of the group says, though the tone of his voice says he isn't too sorry in reality, "but can we know a little more about you first? Me and Vio were just talking about how obscure you are. You're dead, correct?" Ghost girl nods, slowly. Kind of like she didn't expect the question. "Tell us about that. What did you do when you were alive? How do you know so much about Simerla, and our mission?"

The blue flames around the girl kind of mesmerize Blue, and he stares at them as she sighs, then starts speaking. "My name, as I've mentioned, is Kona. It's not my real name, but if I gave that out it would spoil some plot points for you guys, and everyone knows this author loves foreshadowing."

The last sentence has been erased. We're starting over.

"As I may have mentioned, my name is Kona. I am indeed dead, but I did not die in your Hyrule. In my Hyrule, a different version of your Simerla was terrorizing all of Hyrule backed by Ganon and an army thousands strong of monsters. She was eventually stopped by that era's hero, with mine and other's help. Unfortunately, I happened to share a life force with the sorceress through some..." she hesitates for just a moment here, and Blue glances up to look at her face before looking back at the fire entangling with the grass. "unique situations, so when she died, I left as well. But I didn't stop... being here, if that makes sense," she shrugs, scaring the flames away into blue wisps until new ones form. Her speech slows after this, her voice becoming a bit more open in tone as she tries to explain in a way that's easy to understand. "Although the old Simerla was good, as her soul tried to pass into the nest plane, the same evil that had backed it earlier seized it back. I, of course, was pulled with it, but Ganon didn't notice me and I was able to escape his grasp.

"He tainted Simerla's soul in more darkness, and she's fully commited to his cause now. I know that some of you," she looks pointedly at Red and Green. Blue rolls his eyes, but he knows they'd probably interject with something like that, "would like to save her, but she's far beyond it. Treat her as you did Vaati." The boys all nod in unison, some with more reluctance than others. Blue looks at Green, who's paying strict attention to Kona, and sees the look in eyes that says he wants to save all the people. Including this Simerla, who's their enemy. Blue can see why - ghost girl has dropped a couple hints that she wasn't born evil. But she's here and she's going to destroy literally their entire universe and tons of others, so now isn't the time to be second-guessing whether to fight your enemies or not.

"Okay, so you're connected to Simerla, but you're good," Vio says, summing up what she just said. "Now, how do we stop her?" He doesn't say to hurry it up, Blue notices, though he can't tell why. Usually that's what he'd say there, expecially in this kind of situation.

Ghost girl's ponytail cuts through one of the flames, dismissing it into oblivion. Blue flicks one that's strayed all the way to him, making it poof away as well. "Now, Simerla's been here for a deal longer than you think she has. She was setting up the first half of her evil plan.

"I'm sure you as Link heard the stories of the four elements." At the mention, all four blond heads shoot up, and Kona laughs softly. "I thought so. Well, those stories, in some part, are true, and the elements reside in four hidden temples throughout Hyrule. Simerla found out the location of those temples, stole the elements, and put them into the wrong places. People the country over are experiencing terrible weather patterns - you can look for them yourself, even now." She pauses here, taking a breath, before continuing. "If the elements aren't set right, the imbalance they create will tear the very foundation of your world apart. I don't know what Simerla plans to do with a broken world, but knowing Ganon, it can't be good. Your first goal is to either return the elements or keep them otherwise safe, and fix the balance of your world. After that, defeating Simerla will be easier."

Blue blinks. First of all, the stories of the elements he heard as Link in his childhood were true. They were always told as these giant, untouchable legends - at least, that's how he remembers them - and they were... real, apparently. How come he hadn't heard of the elemental temples before this? How come this girl - who apparently wasn't even from their Hyrule - knew more about it than they did? He and his counterparts were the heroes, for Pete's sake - did Zelda even know about this?

Maybe she did, Blue thinks. She might, but she's gone. Somewhere. They might never find her again-

The sky-clad hero shakes his head slightly, shooing the thought away. Now isn't the time to be sad. Now is the time for action. He stands up, the first to do so, and looks down at the others. "Well, we have work to do! The longer we wait, the more time Simer-whatever has time to destroy us, right?" He winks, and Red laughs before standing up as well.

"I guess so! Where should we go first?" The warm-colored Link asks Kona, smiling. His smile is contagious, and Green makes a small one as he stands up as well.

The ghost girl shrugs. "That's for you to decide. I don't really have any specific suggestions, except maybe don't go to the Fire element temple first. You need the element itself to get in there."

Green nods as Vio stands up, all of the boys standing now. Kona's a little taller than you all. The leader looks around at the other three, making a vague shrugging gesture with his arms. "Should we... go for the Water element temple first?" Blue nods immediately, just wanting to go and do something. He doesn't really care what.

Vio makes another shrug in return, also nodding his head. "I don't particularly care what we do, as long as we're working toward the goal." Red just gives a happy smile and a small "sure!" to Green's proposal. The leading Link then turns to Kona, who had watched the whole exchange.

"Where do we go?"

The ghost girl points behind and to the right of them, in the direction of Lanayru. "The Fire element has been put in the Oasis Temple, previously housing the Water element. It's in Faron, and I can give you further instruction once you arrive there." Green nods, as well as Vio. Blue notices there's been a lot of nodding. "Good luck." With that last instruction, Kona fades away, leaving a few stray blue flames in her wake. Blue puts them out with a flick of his wrist as the group walks away.

* * *

 **IM SO SRORRY EPEO G ADFM THIS IS LATE OMG**

 **I tried. I tried so hard and i only just finished. And it was rushed. But its done. So. Yay.**

 **Who knows when the next chapter will be out, but reviews always boost my writing power!**

 **-Starr**


End file.
